NENAGH THROUGH TO COUNTY QUARTER-FINALS

Transcription

1 NENAGH THROUGH TO COUNTY QUARTER-FINALS NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG 1-21 SILVERMINES 0-8 NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG progressed to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Clean Ireland Recycling County Senior Hurling Championship thanks to a sixteenpoint win over Silvermines at Cloughjordan on Saturday August 24th. Éire Óg impressed in the opening half and led 1-14 to 0-1 at the break. Points from Kevin Tucker (three frees), Michael Heffernan (two), Tommy Heffernan (two) and Richie Flannery helped Éire Óg into a 0-8 to noscore lead inside the opening fourteen minutes. The Mines got off the mark in the 15th minute before Paddy Murphy found the side netting following great work from Michael Heffernan. Further points from Kevin Tucker (four frees & one point) and Brian Quinn forced Éire Óg into a thirteen-point lead before Richie Flannery broke Barry Heffernan s long-range free down to Michael Heffernan and the Blues centre-forward rattled the net to hand Nenagh a 1-14 to 0-1 interval advantage. Éire Óg s performance immediately after the break was a little sluggish. Indeed, the Mines scored four points without reply before the Blues hit back thanks to a Michael Heffernan free in the 42nd minute 1-15 to 0-4. A minute later Michael Heffernan converted a 65 before a Barry Heffernan point from play left sixteen points between the teams (1-17 to 0-4) entering the final quarter. Jason Forde converted a 65 on behalf of Silvermines, but Tommy Heffernan responded for Éire Óg before Orrie Quirke landed his side s sixth point in the 49th minute. A clean sheet for Mickey McNamara Éire Óg substitute Donnacha Quinn landed a fine point with eight minutes to play before Tommy Heffernan notched his fourth point from play. A Jason Forde free reduced the deficit to sixteen points once more in the 57th minute and while Johnny Slattery brought the scoring to a close from an Éire Óg point of view in the 58th minute the Mines had the final say in the matter. Éire Óg now join divisional champions Kildangan (North)

2 Continued, Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill (West), Drom & Inch (Mid) and Killenaule (South) in the last eight. Loughmore-Castleiney beat Roscrea (0-21 to 2-11) in their fourth round match in the county championship to also go through to the quarter finals. There are two remaining games in round four, Borris-Ileigh v Carrick Swans & Toomevara v Clonoulty-Rossmore to be played on Sept. 7 th in Holycross. In the quarter-finals the divisional champions will be seeded. Nenagh Éire Óg: Michael McNamara, Mark Flannery, Noel Maloney, John Brennan, Daire Quinn, Hugh Maloney, Billy Heffernan (0-1), Barry Heffernan, Kevin Tucker (0-8, 0-7 frees), Paddy Murphy, Michael Heffernan (1-4, 0-1 frees, ), Pearce Morris, Brian Quinn (0-1), Richie Flannery (0-1), Tommy Heffernan (0-4). Subs: (51st) Donnacha Quinn (0-1) for Hugh Maloney, (53rd) Johnny Slattery (pictured right) (0-1) for Brian Quinn, (56th) Adam Grattan for John Brennan, (56th) Seánie Geaney for Paddy Murphy, (58th) Andrew Coffey for Pearce Morris. Nenagh sport unites for Shane Delaney Nenagh man, Shane Delaney, had an accident earlier this year in Australia and suffered damage to his spinal cord leaving him paralysed from the chest down. After having surgery in Australia Shane returned to Ireland near the end of June and has been working hard at his rehabilitation in Dun Laoghaire for the past few weeks. He is extremely positive and mentally strong and has been an inspiration to our whole community. Shane and his family have strong links to the Nenagh Éire Óg club with both himself and his brothers, David and Liam, representing the club at juvenile level and remaining strong supporters throughout. Nenagh Éire Óg have joined together with Nenagh Ormond RFC, Nenagh AFC and Nenagh Celtic to organise a huge fundraising event for Shane on Sunday, September 14th. Tickets for the event are priced at 20 each, are now on sale for this event and are available from club officers and committee members. Please support this very worthy event! QUESTION, WHAT DO SPORTS STARS DO WHEN THEY ARE BEATEN? The great Christy Ring could answer that. One evening after a Munster championship game he went up to the hurling field in Glen Rovers and spent two hours practising side line cuts from a position where he had missed one playing for Cork that very afternoon. When asked what he was doing his reply was simple, the next time I get to take a side line cut from that position I won t hit it wide. Our U14 hurlers are clearly cut from a similar cloth to the great Ring. Hours after their defeat to Roscrea in the North Final they are back in the hurling field at dusk practising their skills and more importantly having fun. What a great bunch of lads they are and great representatives of our parish and club. THEY WILL BE BACK BETTER THAN EVER!!!!! Hon Éire Óg and bring your mothers!!!!!!!

3 NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG THE GATHERING - FAMILY FUN DAY Nenagh Éire Óg are proud to host our 2013 Gathering event on Sunday, September 8 th, All- Ireland Sunday. Entry is free and we have something for all the family with face-painting, outdoor games and lots of activities for the younger kids and live music with super band OUTA DIESEL followed by a disco for the older ones. We will be showing the All-Ireland Hurling Final on a giant screen so come and watch the match and enjoy the craic. Free refreshments will be served throughout the day and all are welcome.

4 NENAGH MINORS HOST KILMACUD CROKES IN A CHALLENGE MATCH - WEDNESDAY AUGUST 7 TH MacDonagh Park played host to Kilmacud minors as both teams prepare for the business end of this year s championship. In an entertaining and high scoring match Nenagh edged out the visitors with a late goal to win by 3 points. Nenagh Minors on the ball, clockwise from top left, Brian Flynn, James Mackey, Goalie Brian Gubbins, Ger O Gorman, Andrew Coffey and Brian Tuite. With thanks to Kilmacud for the super photographs. See nenagheireog facebook for more. MINOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Éire Óg were due to play Kilruane in Round 5 of the minor championship but the game didn t go ahead and Éire Óg were handed a walkover. The final group game pitted last year s finalists Éire Óg and Kildangan. Eire Óg recorded a 2-23 to 5-7 win in this game. The two goals came from Donnacha Quinn and John Cahalan midway through each half. While the team will be happy with recording a high score, there is still room for improvement before the semi-final stage, which will take place in the coming weeks.

5 PROFILE OF SENIOR HURLER - RICHIE FLANNERY In August 1997 Chumbawamba released their most successful hit Tub-thumping. The song contains the lyrics I get knocked down, but I get up again, you re never going to keep me down. While the song is far from a classic (Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 12 in their list of all time most annoying songs) those lyrics could well have been written about Nenagh senior hurler Richie Flannery! Flannery has had his fair share of knocks and disappointments throughout his hurling career he laments was an awful year. I played in three major finals, the Fitzgibbon Cup Final, the Cork senior hurling final with UCC as well as the Tipperary senior hurling final with Nenagh and lost them all. I was very down over it, it took me a long time to get over it. I was left wondering if I d ever win a medal again. However those defeats made winning all the sweeter. When we won the North senior title in 2001 I was elated and I realised in sport and life you will always get setbacks but you must pick yourself up and keep going was another great chapter in his playing career when Nenagh defeated Portroe in the Kilmacud All Ireland Sevens. It was magical to win an All-Ireland with the club. Going up on the day we didn t know what to expect but as we started to win games our confidence and determination began to soar. At the final whistle the emotion I felt was amazing. I have played many big championship games for Nenagh but I remember that day better than most. It was extraordinary. Life is certainly sweet for the Limerick based teacher at the moment as he has recently made his comeback after an eleven month layoff through injury. It was a very frustrating time on the side lines. I was watching the lads train and play and I was anxious to be a part of it. However I had to be patient. I knew with a long term injury it is important not to rush back before you are ready otherwise you could be back to square one before you know it. Flannery did everything possible to ensure he took to the playing fields again. Once I was injured I didn t wait around. I tried to get the best treatment as soon as possible to get myself right. True to his word Richie made an appointment with Dr. Eanna Falvey in the Santry Sports Clinic, one of the leading specialists in his field in the world. Not only that but he received ongoing expert physiotherapy and rehabilitation from Ballinahinch s Donnacha Ryan, a Limerick based physiotherapist who worked with the Tipperary senior hurlers in mid This combined with the great help of strength and conditioning coach and Munster rugby player Niall Ronan helped Richie get back on the field of play in recent weeks. If any injured player sought my advice on an injury it would be simple: Take no chances, get it looked after straight away and try to get the best treatment possible so you can get fit again. Since his return to action Richie has found himself in the unusual position of full forward. I played most of my career in the half back line so playing at full forward is a strange but new and exciting challenge that so far I am enjoying. I did play briefly at times in 2005 and 2006 with the club in the forwards while I also ventured up there with UCC but I am still new to the role. I have discovered that there is a lot more to playing in the forwards than tapping an easy point over the bar. I m feeling a little guilty for giving our forwards a hard time over the years now!!! All in the club are delighted to see Richie back in action and now through to the county quarter-finals, we wish him and the senior hurlers the very best for the rest of their campaign.

6 OUR TOWN, YOUR VOICE - TOGETHER OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT! Nenagh Chamber of Commerce, Nenagh Town Council and AdSmart.ie have come together to form a coalition of growth and relaunch Nenagh.ie - a hyper-local website which will champion the town and its surrounding areas. Nenagh.ie will offer a business listings service for the area, will work to promote community Junior A Hurling Championship: Following on from the Junior A teams first two victories over Kilruane and Roscrea, the Blues faced old enemies Toomevara in Round 3 of the group stages. Toomevara started the brighter in this encounter but Éire Óg kept working hard to turn a second half five point deficit around to win by three points on a scoreline of 1-21 organisations and events and will be populated by compelling content which is relevant to the town and the surrounding hinterland. The nenagh.ie team are determined to promote the to Bob O Brien scored a great individual goal to seal the win for the blues. On Friday evening the 23nd, the final group game was played in Dolla. and our Junior A team completed their group section of the championship on Friday with a 2-19 to 3-09 victory over Moneygall. Playing against the breeze, the blues led at the break by the minimum ( ) with Niall Madden best interests of Nenagh and the wonderful elements of a town which we are proud to call home. Nenagh.ie will campaign on behalf of the area and it will fight for this town. Let s carve out a future for ourselves and work to create the community that we want to live in. Click on nenagh.ie to find out all the latest news and event listings for the town or mailto:editor@nenagh.ie should you wish to highlight your business, event or community organisation. scoring the goal. Éire Óg upped the tempo in the second half and a second goal by David Cleary and some well taken scores propelled Éire Óg to a seven point victory and maintain their 100% record. As a result we top the group and go straight to the semi-final. Opposition will be known in the next week or two once quarter finals are played. HERE IS A BLAST FROM THE PAST. Michael Cleary collects the Hogan Cup after Nenagh won the old North Tipp senior hurling league in 1991 from North chairman Billy Ryan. Nenagh defeated Borrisokane 2-12 to 0-13 in the final played in Cloughjordan. Note the jersey Michael is wearing. This is the traditional Nenagh jersey, sky blue and white. It was shortly after this that the white was replaced with navy. IS IT A RECORD? For the years 1990 and 1991, Michael Cleary had a 96% success rate from frees from all club and county games in which he played.

7 ÉIRE ÓG ON TOUR! Unfortunately with Tipperary out of the Senior Hurling Championship many of you are probably watching all of the hurling action from the comfort of your own armchair. You might have noticed that Cork GAA sponsors, Chill Insurance, are currently running an advertising campaign at half time of these games. At one stage in the ad, they show a close up of the Tipperary fans on a terrace. Smack bang in the middle of the ad is Cahir man and well known singer/song-writer Johnny B (youtube-johnnybmakesmusic). However, the more eagle eyed "COME ON NENAGH AND BRING YOUR MOTHERS"!!!!!!! A strange battle cry but one that was very common in the 1940s among supporters of Nenagh hurling. At the time, due to rationing and The Emergency, transport was rare. Petrol was limited to important services such as doctors and priests. Unfortunately hurling wasn't considered an important service so many hurlers from the town had to walk (only a few had bicycles) to matches. If we were playing outside the parish it was among you may have noticed a few familiar faces surrounding Johnny. It appears Johnny is surrounded by numerous members Nenagh and Tipp U21 star Tommy Heffernan in action against Cork in the Munster semifinal. often a walk of a couple of hours to the venue (away games to Lorrha and Borrisoleigh must have been a killer). Nenagh had a huge following at the time, among which was many of the players "mammys". They used to bring food with them to the game and would feed the players prior to the match to re-energise them after the walk or cycle and so the town supporters created the battle cry "Come on Nenagh and bring your mothers". of last year's Éire Óg s county winning minor panel. Have a close look and see how many players you can spot. A LITTLE BIT OF CLASS! Juveniles, click here or on the photograph to watch the way Tipp Under 21 and Nenagh Éire Óg senior hurler Tommy Heffernan leans in on his man just enough to put him off his stride (class!) and create the space to score a really super goal (it s easier to spot in the replays). Now you ve seen it, start putting it in to practice on the training field. Remember kids, nothing beats going to senior matches to learn from players who have had many years of coaching with club and county. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter in any way contact: Camógie PRO Enda O Sullivan endaos@hotmail.com Senior Club PRO Paul Lillis paullillis1@gmail.com Juvenile Club PRO Catherine McTiernan cmctiernan@gmail.com Brian McDonnell Senior Club bmcdonne@eircom.net

8 BLAST FROM THE PAST JUNIOR B HURLING In this month s edition we take another trip down memory lane and this time the focus of our attention is the Junior B team. In 1992, Martin Morris led the Junior B team to our first ever North Tipperary championship and two years later, Declan Nolan repeated the same feat for our second, and unfortunately to date, our last title in this grade. In the Q-F we defeated neighbours Burgess on a scoreline of 2-06 to 0-03 points with Con Morris and Eamon O Kennedy grabbing the goals. This set up a semi-final clash with Silvermines in Toomevara on September 10th. The Blues won this encounter 3-06 to At half time things did not look good for Nenagh as we trailed by a point and were reduced to fourteen men but the introduction of evergreen hero, Mattie Ryan swung things in our favour and we dominated the second half to set up a final clash with great rivals Toomevara who beat us 0-14 to 1-08 in the previous year s decider. In this final Nenagh won on a scoreline of 2-13 to 0-06 "with flair and a fair measure of accomplishment" wrote Jerry Slevin Played in beautiful conditions on a perfect pitch, Nenagh started brightly with points from Jason Nevin and Billy Flannery in the opening minutes. Toomevara dominated the rest of the half and without the brilliance of Frank McGrath at wing back and a superb save from goalkeeper Darragh Quinn in the sixth minute from Bernard Hackett "the greyhounds" would have opened up a wide margin on the scoreboard. In fact an injury time point from Mark Sheehan levelled the sides. In the second half little separated Back row Left to right: Future rugby star, Donnacha Ryan, Greg Browne, Mattie Ryan, Paddy Duffy, Liam O Gara, Grainne Nolan, Martin Morris (selector), Rory Flannery (selector) Middle row: John Foley (Bainisteoir) Cor Malone, Enda O Sullivan, Con Morris, Padraig O Kennedy, Seamus Morris, Brian Connolly, Ciaran Morris (behind), Declan Nolan (captain), Frank McGrath, Mark Sheehan, Padraig Gleeson, Willie Nolan Front Row Tom Moylan, John Moylan, Michael Touhy, Mervyn Scanlon, Declan Bailey, Jason Nevin, Alan Slattery, Darragh Quinn, Brendan Shanahan and Billy Flannery the sides until the inspirational switch of Mervyn Scanlon to centre forward. The Toome defence started to panic such was the influence of Scanlon and resorted to fouling to keep the Nenagh attack at bay which fell right into the hands of sharp shooter Billy Flannery who notched over five second half frees. In the 54th minute Nenagh got their first goal from full forward Jason Nevin and the second goal arrived courtesy of Eamon O Kennedy approaching the final whistle. The biggest cheer of the day came when Mattie Ryan, introduced as a second half substitute, scored a point with five minutes remaining. Nenagh totally dominated the second half and such was their brilliance on the day that Toomevara only had one man on the score sheet, namely Bernard Hackett. This win set up a semi-final clash Upperchurch Drombane in Templemore. This turned out to be a dramatic affair with Nenagh winning 5-11 to 5-09, Jason Nevin and Eamon O Kennedy both grabbed two goals each to set up a county final clash with South Champions Carrick Swans in Drombane. Unfortunately Nenagh s youthful side, the majority of which were under 23, came a cropper against a wily and experienced Swan outfit. This was a tough encounter with numerous stoppages for injuries and bookings, and Nenagh's cause was not helped by the unfortunate sending off of their captain Declan Nolan, and his immediate counterpart Tony Fitzpatrick. Indeed Nolan s sending off led to a vicious assault on an unsuspecting jacket behind the goal!!! Nenagh fought gallantly throughout and regretfully missed a number of chances and it finished 0-07 to 0-06 for Carrick Swans. Another sad note on this day was that it marked the last time Mattie Ryan donned the light blue jersey for Nenagh. No one is quite sure how old he was when he retired but there are consistent rumours that he even lined out alongside Cúchulainn in the Cooley Mountains. For Nenagh, it is always going to be difficult to win at Junior B level as it is our clubs third team against most other clubs second team. As the championship progresses we generally lose players to injury and the Junior A outfit. This shows the brilliant achievement of this team in reaching a county final.

9 PROFILE OF JUNIOR CAMOGIE PLAYER ALICE DARCY Name: Alice Darcy. Age: 18 Occupation: Just finished the Leaving in St Marys. Favourite position: Full back. Can you remember your first training session with the club? Tommy Mulcahy and Ollie Walsh were there and we were taught how to hold the hurley properly. We thought the run from the goal line was the longest run of our lives (little did we know what we'd face in later years) and we practised pucking on the ground using our left and right sides. Who is your toughest opponent and why? It s hard to pick just one. Everyone fights extremely hard on the pitch but my toughest opponents are Alanna Morris, Aileen Duggan, Ciara McGrath, Danielle Harington and Louise Hickey when she was here. They all have so much talent, skill, passion for the game and never give up. There are so many more but luckily I am never marking any of them. Favourite Food: Nothing beats Mammy's home-made chicken curry or a toasted tuna and sweetcorn wrap. Favourite Drink: Water or ice cold milk. Favourite Music: I love all kinds of music especially pop. Favourite Hurler: Jason Forde, he shows unreal passion, skill and sportsmanship. Favourite Camogie Player: Deirdre Hughes, an utter legend. Favourite Book: Talk to the Headscarf by Emma Hannigan. Favourite TV show: Whitney. Proudest moment playing for the club: I've had many of them but my proudest was lifting the Junior B league plaque this Year Advice to young players: Stick with it, never give up. Everyone will have bad days, but it's important to keep the head up and stay working hard. Take the advice from your trainers and always encourage your team mates, they're friends you'll have for life. You'll get out of it what you put in so give the time, effort, patience and respect and you'll get it back in abundance. Biggest influence on your career: The biggest influence on my career is Toomevara's Deirdre Hughes and all the older players I saw playing with Nenagh when I started. Also all my trainers the whole way up along who encouraged me to be the best I could be and who have taught me all I know. But on the career I wish to pursue after school, is local physio John Casey. He advised me on a lot of things about the profession and things I need to know. Something we don't know about you: I have completed the Gaisce bronze and silver medal awards and I am currently going for the gold. What does the club mean to you? I find it hard to put into words what the club means to me. I began there and know I will finish there. Every person in the club means so much to me. I would fight tooth and nail for the club and anyone in it. It is a fantastic support network with people working constantly behind the scenes to improve the club for us all. The club to me is like a second family and I have so much respect for everyone in it and I don't know how I could show how grateful I am to everyone for the friendships and memories I've made.

10 U16 CAMÓGIE STARS BRING ALL-IRELAND GLORY TO NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG On Saturday August 3rd, Tipperary took on Galway in the All-Ireland Under 16 A camógie final in Portlaoise. Managed by Drom & Inch's Brian Boyle, Nenagh were very fortunate to have four girls on the panel namely Grace O Brien, Rachel Spillane, Saoirse Gleeson and Rachel Maher. The Premier Ladies defeated the Westerners on a scoreline of 4-06 to 2-08 in a trilling encounter. Not only that but we had four more girls on the Tipperary B panel this year at U16 level. To have such a representation on an inter-county panel is a massive boost for the camógie section and an honour that we are all very proud of. The four girls on the A panel have been fantastic ambassadors for the club, they are very dedicated to camógie and train extremely hard. The entire club send our congratulations. Well done ladies. From left- Nenagh Éire Óg Camogie players Rachel Maher, Grace O Brien, Saoirse Gleeson and Rachel Spillane with the U16 All-Ireland Cup. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG NEWSLETTER DELIVERED TO YOUR IN-BOX EVERY MONTH PLEASE CLICK ON THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTON OR NENAGHEIREOG@GMAIL.COM WITH YOUR REQUEST

11 U14 A NORTH FINALISTS North Tipperary Under-14A Hurling Championship Final Nenagh Éire Óg 0-8 Roscrea 1-10 Éire Óg were left heartbroken at MacDonagh Park, Cloughjordan on Wednesday evening when a heroic effort from the Blues fell agonizingly short against a terrific Roscrea team in a hard-fought under-14a north Tipperary hurling final. Éire Óg arrived in Cloughjordan chasing a 12th under-14a divisional title, but were cast in the role of underdogs having lost (0-7 to 4-16) against Roscrea during the group phase of this year s competition. The Blues, however, seized the initiative, worked tirelessly and only came undone when a late scoring surge from Roscrea denied the Blues a famous win. Indeed, the Éire Óg lads were a credit to themselves, their families and everyone associated with the preparation of this team. The Blues started in positive fashion with points from Killian Malone (free), Conor McCarthy and Barry Coffey helping Éire Óg into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the 11th minute. A fluke goal in the 12th minute handed Roscrea the lead while a pointed free left Éire Óg trailing 0-3 to 1-2 by the 13th minute. Conor McCarthy was misfortunate to see a goal chance fly narrowly wide in the 14th minute, but Éire Óg shook off that disappointment when Jake Morris landed a huge free from his own 65- yard line in the 15th minute. Then, seven minutes later, Jake Morris converted a 65 to level it up (0-5 to 1-2). To their credit Roscrea closed out the opening half in positive fashion with two late points handing them a 1-4 to 0-5 interval advantage. Within four minutes of the second half Éire Óg were level thanks to a Killian Malone free and a terrific point from Barry Coffey 0-7 to 1-4. Roscrea converted a free and a 65 to scoot into a 1-6 to 0-7 lead with fifteen minutes to play. Five minutes later Éire Óg conjured a goal-scoring opportunity when Conor Bonnar won Evan Murphy s long-range free; Bonnar fired in a rasping shot, but the Roscrea keeper pulled off a great save. A Killian Malone point with six minutes to play narrowed the gap to a single point (0-8 to 1-6), but Roscrea responded with a point of their own before the Roscrea keeper saved brilliantly once more, this time from the raiding Conor McCarthy. Sadly, Éire Óg, who were hurling into the wind, struggled thereafter and Roscrea closed out the game with three further points. The Nenagh Éire Óg under-14a team was managed by David Minogue, Donie O Brien and Michael Hallinan the club would like to thank the management team for their work this year. It is also worth noting that this group of players won the north Tipperary under-14a football title this year. Congratulations to Roscrea who bridged a nineteenyear gap on Wednesday evening Roscrea last won the under-14a title in Nenagh Éire Óg: Scott O Brien, Fiachra Starr, Evan Murphy, Ethan O Brien, Conor Bonnar, Jake Morris (captain, 0-2, 0-1 free, ), Mark Carey, Peter Folan, Mark O Farrell, Barry Coffey (0-2), Killian Malone (0-3, 0-2 frees), Daniel O Donovan, Daniel Molamphy, Conor McCarthy (0-1), Seán McTiernan. Subs: (3rd) Fiachra Carey for Daniel O Donovan, (HT) Conor Hennessy for Mark Carey. Panel members: Aaron White, Shane Flynn, Seán Shanahan, Steve Hallinan, Cian O Brien, Alan Manning, Luke Carroll, Dylan Carey, Conor Sullivan, Seán Phelan, Albert Purcell. Referee: Tommy Ryan (Kildangan).

12 U12 GROUP 1 NORTH FINAL WINNERS U12 GROUP 4 NORTH FINALISTS The U12 hurlers have had a very busy summer with both the Group 1 and 4 teams reaching North Finals on the 10th of August. The Group 1 team came through the Group stages undefeated and qualified for a semi-final with their great rivals, Roscrea. In a pulsating encounter, the Blues came through by the minimum of margins on a scoreline of 0-11 to 1-7 to qualify for the final against Borrisokane. The final was played in Borrisoleigh and after a very competitive opening half, Éire Óg pulled away in the second half to claim the North Title on a scoreline of 4-7 to 1-0. Captain, Barry Coffey was presented with the Geaney cup after the game. Their opponents in the County Semi- Final were West Champions, Knockavilla, who had already captured the County Football title earlier in the year. Played in Holycross, Éire Óg played with the aid of a strong breeze in the first half and led at half time by 2-5 to 1-0. With the wind in their backs, Knockavilla came storming back in the second half and levelled the game in injury time. After two periods of extra time the West men snatched the game with two very late points. Final Score, Knockavilla 2-8, Éire Óg 2-6. The Group 4 hurlers also came through a very competitive group stage with only one defeat, ironically against their semi-final opponents, Toomevara. Played at MacDonagh Park, the Blues came through in a high scoring encounter on a scoreline of 6-3 to 4-3 with man of the match, Josh Keller scoring 4-2. Their opponents in the North Final on August 10th were Templederry and despite a brave effort from the Cameron Spillane led Éire Óg men, the honours went to the men in green on a score line of 3-4 to 1-3. Both teams can be very proud of their achievements in 2013 and it was a great honour for the club to have two teams led out behind the piper on North finals day in Borrisoleigh on August 10th last. Click here to watch the boys march out and the presentation of The Geaney Cup and medals. Great speech, Barry!! The ball fizzes past the post in the last minutes of extra-time in the U12 Group 1 County Semi-Final against Knockavilla Kickhams in a game that could easily have gone either way.

13 NENAGH HANDBALL CLUB It's been a very successful summer so far on the 60x30 courts for the Nenagh Club and they are still in the hunt for Handball's biggest prizes. High on the list of the sport's young rising stars are the Meagher sisters, Eimear and Sinead. Younger sister Eimear Meagher (left) and sister Sinead with their Munster medals PLAY THE CLUB LOTTO WE ALL WIN The Nenagh Éire Óg Club Lotto has been in operation for many years now and has provided the club with vital funds that help us run our various teams, maintain our grounds, club house and help promote Gaelic Games in our community. Without this stream of income there is no doubt that the club would not be in the healthy Eimear is the new U13 Singles Munster Champion. Not to be outdone by her younger sibling, Sinead is the new U14 Singles Munster Champ (their brother Eoin is a fine player also and recently reached a Munster semi-final with partner Aaron Hogan). The girls both acknowledge that success takes hard work and they train three times a week on top of their other sporting commitments. Sinead recently won an All-Ireland medal with the Tipp U16 camógie team and both the girls are with the Tipp U14 squad. Eimear's grade finishes at Munster level but Sinead will be back in action in an All-Ireland semi-final travelling north to face Ulster opposition on home turf in the middle of August. We wish her the very best of luck. It isn't all about the kids though with coach, Eamon Spillane going for gold himself. He beat well known Limerick handball player John Joe Fahey to also take Munster glory. He is now through to a Diamond Masters All-Ireland Singles final in the coming weeks but before that he will take on Monaghan and position it currently enjoys. The club have teamed up with to allow you the opportunity to play online and be in a chance of capturing our weekly lotto jackpot. You can subscribe to our lotto on a yearly basis and as well as having the chance of winning you will also receive a weekly with the results of the draw plus you will also receive our weekly notes keeping you up to date on all Ulster Champions in an Emerald Masters All-Ireland Semi with partner Gerry Foley of Ballinahinch. The future of the club is in good hands with Eamon and new members are welcome from age 9 upwards. He's also looking for some help and would welcome all offers! If you think you can give a hand in any capacity give Eamon a call on Nenagh Coach Eamon Spillane activities within the club. We currently have online players in Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, USA, and Australia. If you would like to join and help support the club please click on this link (CLUB LOTTO) and sign up today.

14 OUT AND ABOUT WITH ÉIRE ÓG Clockwise from top left: Juvenile Sponsors Patrick Rohan and Ciarán Scully being thanked by Chairman Michael Geaney and committee member Shane Connolly. Action from a recent under-8 match vs. Borris Illeigh. Sean Óg O Hailpín with the Under-14 panel after their super training session. Daniel O Donavan with Sean Óg. Daniel s father Dan Senior is a proud Cork man. Under 12 Group 1 hurler Barry Coffey with parents Noel and Noreen. Barry had just captained his team to a North Final victory! On his recent visit to the Juvenile Club, Sean Óg O Hailpín is pictured with (from left) Juvenile Club Chairman, Michael Geaney, Juv. Sec. Ann Malone, Senior Club Chairman, Jim Nagle, U-14 Manager, David Minogue and Fionan Mac Cnaimhsí, Ulster Bank.

15 THE SECRET LIFE OF THE COMPLEX - OUR NEWEST MEMBERS NENAGH CRICKET CLUB FROM PORTUGAL TO A NORTH FINAL IN 8 WEEKS! Diogo with Sean Óg O Hailpín who also arrived in Ireland at the same age (and he did alright!) and as part of his U12 team. Some of our newest members are players that have been playing Irish league club cricket since 2011 with the Nenagh Cricket Club. They are trying to reintroduce cricket to the Nenagh area where it was hugely popular from the mid-1830s but then suffered a decline due to the politics of the times and the emergence of the GAA. They currently top the table in Division 2 having won 7 out of 9 of their league matches with one to go vs Co. Clare 2. They are at present hiring the facilities of Ballyeighan Cricket Club, about 20kms from Nenagh near Ballingarry. They also make use of our facility especially during the winter months where among other activities, they play badminton to keep the eye in during the off season! NENAGH FENCING CLUB When Diogo Marques moved from Portugal to Nenagh at the end of June, little did anybody know that Éire Óg were about to get a little gem. As a former field hockey player his first instinct was to pick up a hurley and play with the neighbours and he hasn t stopped hurling since. With little spoken English to help him make friends, his hurley has introduced him to all the boys in the area and now that he is on the Éire Óg U12 team, he has met many future class-mates as he starts school in September. Diogo featured strongly in the U12 North Final recently but unfortunately the boys were beaten by a strong Templederry team. He has another year at this grade so we may see him hold that cup yet. Welcome to Nenagh, Diogo. Patrick Dight, centre and Trevor Nesirsky, far left, with members of The Nenagh Fencing Club. This is a newly formed club but with a wealth of experience behind them in the form of Patrick and Trevor. You can find them practicing on Saturday afternoons in the Complex. We wish them the very best of luck with their new venture.

16 Nenagh Éire Óg Juvenile Club FUNDRAISING EVENT There will be a clothing recycling drive in aid of Nenagh Éire Óg Juvenile Club Sat August 31st, 10am to 4pm at the GAA Grounds Gortlandroe PLEASE DROP OFF ALL ITEMS BETWEEN 10am- 4pm Please donate all your clean unwanted clothes also bed linen, towels, curtains, shoes, bags, belts and soft toys. Wearable clothes will be recycled and re-used and other items will be recycled for items, such as, industrial wipes or soundproofing. LAPTOPS (must be intact with lead) ALSO MOBILE PHONES ARE ACCEPTED BUT PLEASE KEEP SEPARATE BOOKS ARE ACCEPTED BUT NO SCHOOL BOOKS (TEXT OR COPY), MAGAZINES OR DIARIES NO HOUSEHOLD BRIC A BRAC IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT TO THE GAA GROUNDS ON THE DAY, PLEASE CONTACT Shane Connolly ( ) Ger McCarthy ( ) BEFORE Saturday August 31st TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR COLLECTION OF ITEMS Thank you for your support for taking the time and effort to support our fundraising drive.